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PCS 2013: Day 3 | Whitehorse YT to Watson Lake YT

The third day of our PCS, we traveled from Whitehorse to Watson Lake. Leaving Whitehorse, the views were amazing!

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Upon arriving in Watson lake, we found that the little RV park that we stayed at last time was gone! Thankfully we found another park just down the road, and right around the corner from the famous Watson Lake Signpost Forest. You may remember this place from when we came through and visited it in 2010 on the way to Alaska.

There are thousands upon thousands of signs here in the signpost forest. You can find signs from all over the world. Some are signs, some are license plates, some are signs people made just for this purpose.

The forest was started in 1942 by a homesick U.S. Army G.I., Carl K. Lindley of Danville, Il., Company D, 341st Engineers. While working on the Alaska Highway, he erected a sign here pointing the way and stating the mileage to his hometown. Others followed his lead and are still doing so to this day. On July 20, 1990, Olen and Anita Walker of Bryan, Ohio placed the 10,000th sign. Carl K. Lindley and his wife visited the site in 1992, 50 years after his first post was erected.

Today, the Town of Watson Lake maintains the site, erecting more posts as they are needed through the Adopt-A-Post Program. Located near the forest is the Alaska Highway Interpretive Centre. This is often the first Yukon stop for northbound travellers. Besides providing information on the territory, the centre interprets the remarkable history of the highway through photo murals, realistic displays and dioramas, a three projector audio-visual presentation and a unique winter night scene illuminated by northern lights.

There are currently over 70,000 signs!

Back in 2010, we hung our own sign on the way North. We searched and found it and took another photo by it. Look how much they have changed in 3 years! You can see how many more signs and posts have squeezed into that little area in such a short amount of time.

The yellow sign here comes from the city in Germany that we used to live in.

The boys had to take a minute and play on the equipment that is there on display.

We also found the sticker my husband stuck on a light post in honor of his unit back at Fort Bragg.

You could spend hours here looking at all of the signs and notes that people have shared here. It is quite a neat place to stop!